Live updates from Haiti!

Several friends of mine from my home church are over in Haiti, getting things done.

The local paper is following and blogging about it, just in case you were curious!

http://blogs.venturacountystar.com/helping_haiti/

and also on facebook @

http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=Rex+Holt&init=quick#/pages/TD...


The following is a poignant report by team member Scott Mortensen
Share
Yesterday at 10:09am
January 26th, 2010 at Dawn

"...Miriam--the long time director [of New Life Children's Home] told me about the heartbreak of raising funds to educate the children here only to see the quake hit and have school cancelled for the year--the uniforms, books, buildings, and many of the teachers are gone.

Stories of heartbreak are everywhere. As soon as I arrived here I felt like I stepped off a whirlwind and landed in a tornado. "...As our team waited on the tarmac to clear passports and receive our contact I made friends with two Haitian boys barely in their teens--- Jules Jhon Diego and his younger brother Noel. During the quake they escaped their house with a few lacerations. Their mother did not make it. They are now flying to Orlando to visit a father they hardly know. As they were flying alone and with nothing more than the clothes on their backs, our team gave them some food money for the flight to Florida--knowing in our hearts that their mothers, along with our mothers, would want these boys well fed for the journey ahead of them.

Next,our skilled doctors, nurses, paramedics and EMTS wasted no time assisting those even less fortunate. They were recruited by the University of Miami MedShare hospital at the airport--a massive white dome that could be mistaken for a circus tent under different circumstances. One of our doctors---Dave [Perlmutter] has been an MD for over fifty years. Another, Jolie [Pfahler] is an ER doc at St. John's in Santa Monica. Both of them told me the conditions were like nothing they had ever seen. "The staff is doing a good job," Jolie said, "But they are overwhelmed and tired. There are so many critical patients it is like nothing I've ever seen." Dane [Melberg], a paramedic relayed a similar story. "The nurses were all so relieved to see us. They were exhausted and perhaps a little shell-shocked. All I did was go around and take vitals and they were so thankful."

Indeed, since we arrived here we have felt the gratitude, not just from those who have worked so hard in Haiti even before the quake but from the Haitians themselves. The rioting and the angry crowds that we saw on TV before our departure is a rare occurrence and so far unseen. The reality is that everywhere we go, whether we are dishing out prayer, medicine or food the community response is a heartfelt, "Merci."

Day two saw us setting up a clinic near the Broken Home orphanage. One of our team members Mark [Novas] is a former doctor in the Air Force with experience at Katrina. As such we nominated him Incident Commander for our makeshift hospital. Soft-spoken and amazingly capable I was in awe at how fast and yet how unhurried Mark was in mobilizing the rest of our EMS team. As a professional firefighter I have seen my fair share of emergency incidents ranging from train collisions, wildland fires and water rescues. To have our clinic triaging the multitude of patients in under a half an hour was a memorable display of teamwork, efficiency and expertise by all of those involved.

As Rachel--one of our team nurses--nourished a three day old "post quake" child--I examined the rubble of the nearby building which was formerly a school for over 200 children. The latter one third of the building had collapsed. Thankfully, the quake happened around 5pm so school was not in session. Sadly, a 7 year old boy named Peterson playing in the backyard was killed.

As mentioned, the stories of tragedy are many and the rebuilding process is virtually unfathomable. But I want to encourage people back home by relaying the following information: Many of the Haitians have suffered inconceivable loss and yet they are still able to smile, to give thanks and to have hope in their hearts. This is the lesson that I will take home from Haiti. Those who have lost so much still retain their faith, hope and love.

Two of our most memorable patients were young boys with equally viscious head and skull trauma. They cried as we inspected their wounds and replaced their bandages. I grabbed a couple of stuffed animals from my bag (thank you Rhonda T!) and within minutes the boys were playing as if childhood could once again be a normal occurence around here. The resolve of the people is amazing. I hope and pray they can utilize it to rebuild their shattered nation.

It will be a long, long time before measurable progress is made. That is why I am so thankful for all of you have shown unprecedented support to our team down here. Our leaders--Rikki from TDA, Steve from Christian Associates and my good friend Brian from Calvary Community are keeping operations moving and morale high. The doctors, nurses and paramedics are among the most humble and most capable practitioners I have ever had the pleasure to work with.

I am here for all of you who have the people of Haiti in their hearts and minds. My gratitude, like theirs, is immense.